Dead and Lifeless
by Chasyn
Summary: Mickey tries his best to keep his logs. But soon he's the only one left. Then Ian's rescue team arrives. (Dead Space meets Ian and Mickey from Shameless. Sorta.) (Lots of death, cussing, gay themes, and stuffs.)
1. Catalyst

This was almost 5000 and not done. So I thought I'd split it up into short chapters and make it a little short chaptered thing. And then... I fucked up saving the files... and lost over 2000 words. So... I'm just gonna cry. Because I didn't write any of this down. I wrote it 100% on the computer. And I just... I can't believe it. So excuse me while I cry for hours and hours and I will work on it more later. I just wanna post what I got now.

Anyways... Ian/Mickey from Shameless, sorta stuck in the Dead Space game. This idea woke me up this morning at 5 am and I just had to get up and write it. (And then delete half of it, apparently.) So I go cry now.

Warnings for: Light gay stuffs, language, major character death, bloody stuffs. (And for me crying.)

 **Dead and Lifeless: Catalyst**

 _Mickey Milkovich. Security Officer #286. Day 12 since the incident. 23 more have fallen sick despite our best efforts to keep the infected quarantined. We've sent out a distress call to Earth. But it will be 3 days until the message gets there and 3 days for a response. Until then, I guess we just wait._

 _Mickey Milkovich. Security Officer #286. Day 25 since the incident. Over half of the security team has been infected. We've had to expand the medical decks, taking up half of the storage decks. I really don't understand what's going on with the infected personnel. My sister, Mandy... Amanda Milkovich, Hydroponics_ _Team, was taken down there yesterday. I was with her when it happened. She just said she was feeling a little off. Then she was just... puking blood everywhere. I tried to see her this morning. But they won't let anyone down there and it's fuckin' pissing me off! FUCK! Ain't supposed to cuss in these logs. We're still waiting on a response from Earth. Haven't heard anything from them. We've sent another distress signal, stronger this time. So... still waiting._

 _Mickey Milkovich. Security Officer #286. Day 29 since the incident. I've been detained in the cells. Fuckin' locked up! I was just trying ta see Mandy! Fuck this shit... hey! HEY! YOU CAN'T KEEP ME LOCKED UP IN HERE! THIS IS BULLSHIT! I JUST WANTED TO TALK TA MY SISTER!_

 _Mickey Milkovich. Security Officer #286. Day 33 since the incident. They released me from lockup. Said it was just to see if I'd been infected myself when I snuck into the vents. Fuck that! I was fuckin' with Mandy. She fuckin' puked on me! If I wasn't immune, I woulda been down there with her! But they say I'm immune. Guess I'm lucky then. Cuz that means I ain't fired. There's like only 20 something on the security team left. Rest are locked up in medical. So fuck it. I can say whatever the fuck I want in these goddamn motherfuckin' logs! No one fuckin' watches them anyways. Oh yeah, I've been promoted to the Senior Security Team, bitches!_

 _Mickey Milkovich. Senior Security Officer #5. Day 45 since the incident. Something weird is happening downstairs. The medical decks are still sealed off. We've lost communications with them. But the noises... it's fuckin' creepy as hell. We can hear shit though the vents. Still nothing from Earth. I think they've seen out another signal. But nothing. Fuckin' shit._

 _Mickey Milkovich. Senior Security Officer #5. Day 51 since the incident. ... I... I don't... I don't know where... to start... me and Lip... Phillip Gallagher, Senior Tech... tech uh... fuck! I forget what he said. He calls it the Geek Squad. Also says to call him Lip? So yeah, Lip, Senior Geek Squad Dude, he managed to hack back into the lower decks' security cameras... and... it was just... there was so much... I... Fuck! Never figured myself for a squeamish pussy bitch but after seeing that shit, I fuckin' puked and Lip starts freaking out. But I'm immune so it ain't the infection. Just so much blood and shit. I don't even know what it is. Dead bodies... and pieces... and they're... eating each other... or... FUCK! I don't know! ... and I just... can't... Mandy! She's still down there! Somewhere! And I told Lip I'm fuckin' breaking the doors down! I will find a way in!_

 _... Mandy's dead... I can't... she's just... Lip hacked into more videos... and it happened... while I was locked in those fuckin' cells... those motherfuckers fuckin' recorded it! Then they fuckin'... they... they shot her... I can't..._

 _Mickey Milkovich. Senior Security Officer #5. Day 63 since the incident. ... Yeah, yeah, Lip. Get off my ass, I'm fuckin' doing it! Lip says he studied the videos of Mandy and a dozen other people. Once the infection gets to a certain state... it like... fuckin' mutates or some weird ass shit. They started eating each other. I don't fuckin' know. He showed me a couple videos but I can't watch it. I can't... Mandy... ... ... I found the Head of the Security Team, Tony Markovich, dead in his office this morning. Gunshot. Self inflected, far as I could tell. Dude was in over his head anyways, I think. He was only a few levels above me when this all started. He got promoted cuz he was the highest one left. Guess now I'm the highest._

 _Mickey Milkovich. Head Security Officer #1. Day 72 since the incident. Far as we can tell, it's just me and Lip left. We've walled ourselves off in the uh... kitchen? No, not the kitchen. Hydroponics_ _deck._ _The food storage level? Fuck, it's a giant, walk-in freezer. Lip hacked into it, turned off the freezer part, I guess. He says it's safe, I guess? Cuz it's walled off and it fuckin' locks from the inside and the vents aren't open to the rest of the ship. Cuz that's how they're getting around the fuckin' ship and killing everyone. The fuckin' vents! They hardly even look like people anymore. Just... monsters, I guess._

 _Mickey Milkovich. Head Security Officer #1. Day 78 since the incident. ... ... ... Lip's infected. We thought he was immune like me. Cuz... well... he's still fuckin' alive! I can't... I don't... he's still going, though. He's still trying ta figure this shit out. He says it was some alien bacteria, brought aboard the ship when the excavating team brought on samples to study. He's trying ta teach me shit. How ta hack the computers like he did and how to keep the generators working and how to keep growing food and shit in Hydroponics and keep the oxygen cycling and how to keep on living. I ain't smart like him. I can't understand this shit! My head's gonna fuckin' explode!_

 _Mickey Milkovich. Head Security Officer #1. Day 89 since the incident. I put a bullet through Lip's brain today. He said that's the way to kill the infected before they start really mutating. Once they mutate, it's harder to get a killshot, cuz they keep on moving and mutating. Ya gotta like, dismember them. Shoot off a leg to slow them down. Real messy shit. And they keep coming. So ya gotta just keep shooting or hacking or shit. ... ... I don't know how Lip lasted so long. Prolly cuz he was hyper focused on tryin' ta figure this shit out. He saved all his smart shit on a micro drive and put it on a fuckin' chain. He said I gotta keep it safe, cuz when I get rescued, I can hand it over and someone with brains can finish what he started. Fuck that. I know I ain't getting off this ship. But I'm still gonna wear his fuckin' necklace drive cuz I promised him I would._

 _Mickey Milkovich. Just Some Dumbass Still Alive. Day 95 since the incident. It's been 6 days since I've seen another living person. Pretty fuckin' sure they're all dead. I can't remember the exact number. But I swear, there was like over 10,000 people on this ship. It's been like 3 fuckin' months! I don't fuckin' understand!_

 _Just Some Dumbass Still Alive. Day 99 since the incident. Why the fuck am I still doing this? Prolly cuz it's the only time I actually get to talk to someone. And it's to no one. Just fuckin' talking to myself. But it feels like I'm not talking to myself... Still nothing. Still alone. Still fucked in every sense of the word. Still living in the fuckin' freezer. I only go out when it's really quiet and the cameras are all clear. Still fuckin' can't believe I can keep this shit running by myself._

 _... ... ... I... I don't know... I think... I'm going crazy... I thought I saw... but... no... I watched her die..._

 _... ... ... ..._

 _... ... ... I don't know how long it's been... I've lost count... days... weeks... months... years?_

 _... Mandy?_

 _... ... ..._

 _Mandy... are you there?_

 _... ... ... ... ... ..._

 _Save me..._

 **Author's Notes:** So yeah. I'm gonna go cry.


	2. Martyr

Morning! Damn. I cried so much last night. XD SO... MUCH! Stupid story.

 **Dead and Lifeless: Martyr**

He bounced in place, unable to contain himself. He was equal parts worried and excited. He'd been training for 5 months for the special mission. He still couldn't believe he'd been chosen! But he was top in his class and he'd been adamant and persistent. He _had_ to go. He had to find out what had happened. They all feared the worst, but he owed it to his family to find out what had happened.

"Gallagher!" The name was snapped loudly across the small, overcrowded ship.

He stopped and hunched down slightly, like a kid being caught trying to steal a cookie from the cookie jar. Then he straightened up and spun around. He lifted his hand in a salute. "Yes, sir! Sorry Colonel Pratt."

"Stop bouncing!" The man before him snapped. "Act like you're a grown up soldier and not fresh out of the academy."

His mouth dropped opened. But he quickly shut it. He was excited. He couldn't help it! It was his first time off the planet! Plus the over whelming need to find out about his brother. It had been months since all communications had been lost. But the Colonel was right. He needed to rein it in.

"Ian."

Ian turned and smiled as the other two members of his squad waved at him. He hurried over to them, glad for the distraction away from the Colonel. "Hey." Caleb and Trevor, they'd been training for the last 5 months as well. They'd been training as a team and they worked well together.

Colonel Pratt continued to glare around the room at the gathered people. "Okay! Listen up!" There were 45 of them in total, all dressed in identical white armored suits. 10 teams of 3, to be sent to different parts of the ship, looking for any signs of life. 1 team of 5 to seek out the control room and navigate from there, trying to restore what they could. And the remaining 10 were to stay on their own ship and scan from there. "We've confirmed that there's no commutation from the S. Selemahs Excavating ship. Our scans are picking up signs of something, but we cannot confirm, from here, what those signs may be."

A few murmurs ran through the crowd.

Pratt lifted his hands. "Settle down. Alpha team will start in control. Bravo team will remain on the ship. Now, the scouting teams..." He ran through them quickly until he got to Ian's squad. "Foxtrot, headed by Gallagher..." Pratt lifted his eyes to glare at the team. "You guys are heading to the Hydroponic deck."

Caleb let out an audible groan and earn himself a glare as well. He quickly dropped his gaze. "Sorry, sir."

The Colonel finished his briefing as their ship finished docking. Then he quickly pushed through the crowd and gathered his own team. They would be the first through the doors. He paused and turned back around. "We lost communications with the ship during their last known dig, 305 days ago. We've heard nothing since then. Keep your eyes and ears open, keep your wits about you. You see anything strange, you radio immediately. Got it?"

A chorus of "Yes, sir!" and nods filled the room.

"Good." Pratt said, turning back around. "Helmets up, guns out. Fall out."

All the teams started popping their helmets up and pulling out their guns. The Alpha team started forward, down the ramp first. The other teams exited the ship slowly, stepping out into the hanger. It looked like a normal hanger. There were a few small ships docked around. Pratt signaled for the other teams to stop as his team headed over to the control panels. Twenty minutes later, they'd hacked inside the ship and managed to get inside the tram station. Another twenty minutes and they were working on getting the tram station up and running.

Colonel Pratt collapsed his helmet and shook his head. "Can't see for shit in these things." He mumbled out. "Air's fine." He said. "Still producing oxygen."

A few of the others did the same. Ian and his team included. Ian agreed, the RIG's could be stifling. But he knew how important they were. He remembered his training. _Resource Integration Gear, RIG, is an integrated health management and strength augmentation system that assists it's host in previously impossible and dangerous environments._ It was more than just a full-body armored suit. It monitored their vitals and relayed information back to their ship. They also had holographic projectors installed in the wrists that created two-dimensional displays. But yeah, it wasn't the most comfortable.

Ian glanced around the room as they waited. They hadn't seen or heard anything. It was eerily quiet and just plain weird. He spied a large map of the ship on a wall. He stepped closer, his squad members right behind him. He touched the wall where the hanger was located. It actually wasn't far from the Hydroponics deck. He lifted his wrist, brought up his display, and snapped a quick picture of it. He turned and waved. "Colonel Pratt." He called out.

The Colonel turned towards him. "Yeah, Gallagher?"

Ian pointed at the map. "This is different than the map we were given."

The Colonel stepped closer. He frowned. "It is. Hmm."

"Hydroponics is right here." Ian said, pointing at the decks below them. "Looks like just down this hall and down a couple of decks. We don't need a tram for that. We can walk."

Pratt nodded his head and waved him off as he stepped closer to the map. "Everything is in the wrong spots... control isn't here..." He touched the map with his fingers and then drug it across. "It's here. How is our Intel so fucked?"

"Sir?" Ian prompted after a moment.

Pratt glanced back at him and blinked for a moment. "Yeah, sure. Uh... dismissed. Radio if you find anything." He turned back to the map and waved the rest of his team over to inspect it.

Ian turned back to his squad and smiled. The three of them quickly headed over to the stairwell and headed down. Ian walked in front, holding his pulse rifle out in front of him as he scanned the area. Trevor was a step behind, holding out wrist display and using it to scan everything, taking measurements and pictures. Caleb brought up the rear, his rifle pointed behind them as he scanned the area they'd just walked down. But so far, nothing. No signs of anything. Just a normal hallway. It was weird. They reached the end of the hall and headed down again, to the next deck down. And it was still just as quiet.

And then it wasn't quiet. Caleb let out a groan as he shouldered his rifle. "This is bullshit." He said, breathing out a loud sigh.

Ian paused, lowering his rifle, and turned. "What is?"

Caleb glared at him a moment. "Hydroponics!" The man snapped. "Fucking sending us to Hydroponics. It's bullshit."

Ian shrugged. "What does it matter what deck we get sent to?"

"Because _anything_ is better than fucking plants!" Caleb snapped.

Trevor glanced back at Caleb for a moment. "Dude, you shouldn't be fucking plants." He said with a straight face. Then he walked around Ian and started down the steps again.

Ian let out a laugh and Caleb rolled his eyes. "I know." Ian said, reaching back to pat his friend on the shoulder. "I get it. It's not the glamorous part of the ship. But hey, at least we aren't left on the docking team."

Caleb shrugged. "Guess so."

"Okay." Trevor called from the bottom of the steps. "If you two ladies are done, we... should... holy shit!"

Ian lifted his gun and sprinted down the steps without a second thought. He jumped in front of Trevor, his gun up. But there didn't seem to be any immediate damage. He shifted and scanned the long hall in front of them again. He couldn't see too far. It was dark. "Light." He said and a beam of light lit up the space from his display. "Caleb?" He asked, not taking his eyes off the hall.

"Nothing." Caleb said from behind them.

"Guns down, boys." Trevor said, stepping around Ian again. "I was talking about the walls and floor."

Ian dropped his gaze and looked down. Thin red vines stretched across the whole floor. He glanced at the walls farther down the hall, angling his lights to light up the vines and leaves. "Huh." Ian glanced down at the floor again. Then he bent down, frowning. "What is it?" He asked, reaching out to touch it with his gloved hand.

"No clue." Trevor said. He knelt down beside Ian and pulled off a small leaf to run through his scanner. "Hmm." He mused, standing back up. "It's organic. But unknown."

"Poisonous?" Ian asked.

Trevor tilted his head to the side. "Doesn't seem so. But I wouldn't eat it."

Ian smiled and let out a laugh as he stood back up and shouldered his rifle for the moment. "That's just what I was planning on doing."


	3. Sight

**Sight**

"That's just what I was planning on doing."

Voices.

Voices?

What the fuck? VOICES?

He blinked at the holographic display. He stared at it, he gawked at it. He reached out slowly, his hand wavering a bit, until his fingers touched the display. Was he hearing things? Seeing things? Was he completely imagining it? He must have been. He pulled the monitor base into his lap and cradled it. He stared at the men on the display. There were wearing RIG's similar looking to ones that were used on the ship when needed. Where had they come from? There was no one left alive on the ship. No one but him. He'd been over ever part of the ship by then, looking for anyone else alive or for supplies. When the monsters where asleep or off on other parts of the ship, of course. But... there were people. On his ship. In the hall. In the hall, on the Hydroponics deck. His deck. They were just down the hall from his hiding spot!

Mickey reached touched the display and quickly logged into the hall camera. He rotated the camera and zoomed in, focusing on the redhead and for a moment, he was glad they weren't wearing their helmets. Pretty, crossed his mind. Pretty? How long had it been since that word had popped in his head? Had it ever? He zoomed in more, the camera moving when the man tilted his head back and laughed. The sound was music. And the man had a few stray freckles on his neck.

Mickey blinked. Questions. Questions? Was that the word? He had so many questions! His eyes focused on another thing about the man in the white armored suit. There was a name badge on his chest. Gallagher. _Gallagher?!_ Phillip! "Holy fuck." Mickey gasped and fumbled with the controls, the camera angle shifting drastically. "Shit!" He quickly righted it and tried to get his hands to stop shaking. Phillip was dead! This pretty man, whoever he was, looked nothing like Phillip! It had been nearly a month since Mickey had stopped hallucinating seeing his sister, Mandy.

"Hey!" A voice said, moving closer to the camera. Mickey snapped his attention back and saw the shortest of the men peering closer at the camera. "Did you see that?" The Short Man asked.

The dark skinned man, Mickey thought he had heard Gallagher call him Caleb, turned to look at Short Man. "See what?"

Short Man pointed at the camera. "The camera moved."

Gallagher stepped closer, his eyes widening. "Really?"

Caleb shook his head. "No way. Must be imagining things."

"I saw it!" Short Man insisted.

Gallagher lifted his hand and waved at the camera. "Maybe the Colonel got the cameras working. Maybe he's trying to get a visual lock on the teams..."

Whatever the men said next was lost to Mickey. He focused on the words the pretty man had said. Colonel. Teams. Not just a team. But _teams_. Enough to have a Colonel with them. Mickey bent over the display and his fingers flew over the keys as he checked the other cameras. The ship in the hanger! People were milling around inside the hanger, near their ship! How had he not noticed? Because he gave up so long ago on actually checking the cameras except when he needed to locate the monster hordes.

"Fuck!" He breathed out and checked more cameras. He saw the larger group of people in the tram station, messing with the control panel. He moved the camera slightly, scanning the whole station. Both trams where gone. Shit! Mickey closed the cameras and opened the ship's map. He scanned for the trams. One was headed to Engineering. That was bad. He and Lip had blown up part of Engineering months ago and sealed it off. There had been a rather large group of monsters in there they had tried to kill before they knew what they were doing.

The second tram was... Mickey's eyes widened. Headed down to Medical! "Fuck!" He snapped out. He quickly scanned the ship and checked all the cameras. A horde of monsters were on the move from the lower decks, attracted by the sounds of the tram, no doubt. Fuck! Communication channels were something Lip never got restored. Mickey couldn't warn them! There was nothing he could do! He couldn't help these unknown people! I wouldn't be able to... A blip on the radar stopped him. There was another monster on the way. It looked like it had broken apart from the larger group. And it was headed towards the men standing in the Hydroponics hallway! Mickey jumped up and pulled on his RIG.

 **-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

"Colonel, come in." Ian repeated into his radio. "This is Captain Gallagher, Foxtrot Team. Come in, Alpha." He paused. "Bravo team? Charlie, Delta?" There still wasn't an answer. "Fuck! Anyone? Lima?" Ian looked back at Trevor. "Anything weird?"

Trevor shook his head, his eyes on his scanner. "Nope. Nothing on the scans." He glanced back up at Ian. "Should we turn back?"

Caleb had been sitting on the floor, near the stairwell back up to the upper deck. He was leaning back against the wall and fiddling with his pulse rifle. But at Trevor's words, his head snapped up. "No way." He snapped, shaking his head. He jumped up and swung his rifle out to the side. "Assignment is to check Hydro. Not run back as soon as you get spooked." He said, pointing at Trevor.

Trevor frowned. "I'm not spooked!" He snapped. "I was asking our team captain!"

Caleb rolled his eyes and waved his arm. "Ian, tell him you wanna keep going because you aren't a pussy."

"I'm not a pussy!" Trevor glared at him.

Caleb slowly smiled. "Well... you got one."

Trevor's eyes widened. Then he stalked right up to Caleb, not flinching a bit under the larger man's glace. "Ian must think I'm more man than you! He dumped your ass for mine." He said smugly. "Then he let me fuck his ass."

"Oh yeah?" Caleb snapped at him, his eyes narrowing into a glare and his voice rising. "With what? You don't have anything down there."

Ian rolled his eyes. The two looked like they were seconds from swinging at each other. And this was ridiculous! Ian really hoped the Alpha team hadn't restored the security cameras. And he hoped no other teams were close enough to hear the shouting match. He surged forward, squeezing in between them and pushing them back. "Back the fuck off!" He snapped. "You both said you could work together!" He continued. "As a team!"

Caleb glared and pushed Ian away. "Can't believe you broke up with me for this whiney ass bitch."

Ian turned towards him and stared at him for a moment. "I broke up with you because you cheated on me." He said bluntly.

Caleb shook his head quickly. "No I didn't."

Ian blinked. "Yeah ya did. I caught you! And You admitted it!"

Trevor glanced down at his scanner. "Guys..."

Caleb shook his head again. "That wasn't cheating. That was just a girl I fuck sometimes."

Ian stared at him again for a moment. "Yeah... you fucked a girl. While we were dating."

"Hey, guys..." Trevor tried again.

"That's not cheating!" Caleb insisted. "I've known her my whole life!"

"You. Fucked. Someone else. While WE WERE DATING!" Ian punctuated the words and ended up yelling. He was trying his hardest to control his anger but Caleb was really pushing his buttons. They had had this fight before and no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get it through Caleb's head. It didn't matter _who_ Caleb fucked or what gender. The part that mattered, was that the guy fucked _someone else_!

"GUYS!" Trevor snapped loudly. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He stepped towards them. He turned his scanner around and held it out to them. There were two blips on the screen, one coming from the stairwell behind them and one from the hall in front of them.

"Fuck!" Ian pulled out his gun and moved around Trevor. He lifted his rifle and held it up, his eyes scanning the hall. "Got the front."

"Got the rear." Caleb had his gun out, poised on the stairwell. Trevor quickly shouldered his scanner and pulled out his gun.

Maybe they weren't the best of friends that Ian had thought they were. Well... maybe not best friends. But he at least thought they were regular friends. He thought they got along and put the whole dating shit behind them. He only went out with Caleb for about a month. Trevor he dated for a little two months. But still. Neither relationship had lasted long enough for Ian to get attached. And he assumed both felt the same. But clearly, there was still resentment there. Or jealousy or just some need to prove something that didn't need proved.

Ian backed up a step, moving closer to Trevor. "Close formation." He said. "Hold." He added lowly. "No getting trigger happy. Probably just one of the other teams."

Caleb moved back, closer to Trevor and Ian and he nodded. "Yeah. Coming to check because the radios are down." Caleb said. Trevor rolled his eyes and bit back a sharp retort, no doubt. Caleb didn't see, but Ian caught it. And he was glad Trevor had more control than Caleb. They didn't need to break out into another high school esc fight.

A shadow fell across the hall. Ian's eyes focused on it and he looked through the sight on his rifle. He couldn't make out whatever it was. It seemed like it was pressed against the wall, but it was moving closer. "Movement." He whispered. He felt Trevor turn and move in beside him.

And then Caleb turned, taking his eyes off the stairwell as a shadow fell across it as well..


	4. Downfall

**Downfall**

Mickey pressed himself to the wall. He held his breath as his ears strained to hear the words that pretty Gallagher had said. His plan had been to slowly reveal himself. Then get them to follow him back to his freezer. Once the monsters were gone from the area, maybe he could help them back to their ship. He lifted his arm and quickly pulled up his scanner. Shit! The monster was practically on top of them!

Mickey took a deep breath and pushed away from the wall. He held up his hands. His eyes widened. All three were looking at him! Caleb wasn't watching the stairs! Mickey pulled out his plasma cutter, a power tool that shot energy pulses, used to chip away at large rocks. "Turn around!" He snapped. But it seemed like everything moved in slow motion. Mickey lifted his cutter and pointed it at the monster ambling down the stairs.

Gallagher lifted his rifle up, pointing it right at him. "Drop your weapon!"

The monster darted in closer. For something so large and cumbersome, it could move quickly and silently. A lot of them could. It almost resembled the person it once was, if Mickey closed his eyes and squinted. It was missing an arm and it's jaw had two large, almost horn like things jutting out the bottom. It's skin was pulled and twisted and in some places, hardly covering the thick muscle underneath. Caleb didn't even get a chance to scream. The monster darted forward and pulled him to the ground. Caleb managed to flip over and his eyes widened seconds before the grotesque thing opened its twisted mouth, its jaws extending wider than it should. Then it dipped forward and engulfed Caleb's entire head. It ripped it clear off, snapping it off at the man's neck.

Small Man was the closest and was splashed with blood. He stumbled back a step as Gallagher lifted his gun, his hands shaking a bit as he pulled the trigger and shot round after round into the monster's chest. The thing dropped Caleb's body, blood pooling onto the floor. It turned it's twisted body towards them.

Mickey rushed closer. "Helmets!" He snapped. "It's contagious!" He didn't wait to see if they listened. He aimed for the monster's left leg and shot at it. "Limbs!" He shouted and shot a few more rounds. They had to get it down and fast, before more were attracted. The fuckers could really move when they tried. Another shot severed the leg and a pool of black blood coated the floor. The monster let out a terrible shriek and it's other leg was severed seconds later by Gallagher and Short Man. The thing dropped to the floor and let out another blood curdling shriek. It used it's single long, sharp forearm to pull itself forward, stabbing into Caleb's body as it moved over it.

"How the fuck..." The Short Man gasped and staggered back a step. "Ian..." HIs voice wavered a bit.

"Uh... guy?" Gallagher asked, turning towards him.

Mickey rolled his eyes as he pointed his cutter and shot at the remaining arm. "All the fuckin' limbs!" He snapped. He shot a direct hit and slicked through the monster's shoulder. It dropped to the floor completely but it was still coming, half rolling and half scraping along the floor with it's weird horned jaws. "Fall back." Mickey snapped. "I got this shit." He darted forward, jumping to the side when it tried to snap its twisted jaws at him. The limbless creature tried to roll over on its side, towards Mickey, and continued to snap its jaws. Mickey hooked his cutter back to his RIG and reached over to grab Caleb's pulse rifle. It was a model he was familiar with and he was able to disconnect the trigger in a second. He held it like a bat and swung as hard as he could. He caught the monster in the face and tore off one side of its lower jaw. Then he jumped on it, standing over it, and started slamming the butt of the rifle into the thing's face. The skull collapsed easily. Mickey bashed into it a few more times, not stopping or slowing down until he crushed the thing's neck and chest.

He was breathing hard as he let his arms fall to his sides. The barrel of the rifle touched the ground. It felt heavy suddenly but he didn't drop it. Both it and his whole RIG was splashed with blood and guts. He could feel it. He turned towards the two men, both standing, facing him, with their rifles lowered. Mickey was glad he couldn't see their faces.

A scraping sound above them stilled them all. All three of them turned their heads up, staring at the ceiling.

"Fuck!" Mickey breathed out. More were on the way. Of course more where on the fucking way! He lifted his arm and called up his display. He logged into his freezer terminal and cycled through all the hydroponics cameras quickly. It looked empty. He opened the door. "Gallagher." He called out and waved at him.

The man seemed to snap out of it. He stepped forward. "Yeah?"

"You're gonna gun." Mickey said, stepping closer. Damn, how tall was this fucking guy? He brought up the map and drug a line through the hall. "Down the hall, to the right, to Hydroponics. Big fuckin' sign. Right inside the door, turn left, giant ass freezer. Don't look like a freezer anymore. But the doors will be open."

"But what..." The man started to say.

"Fuckin' run!" Mickey snapped, pushing him. "I'll be right behind you."

Gallagher nodded his head and waved at Short Man. "You hear that?" The other man nodded and the two turned.

Mickey waited a moment. Then he pulled his cutter back out and turned. He bent over Caleb's body and pressed the cutter to the arm. He shot a round off and the arm went flying. He did it again to the other arm and then moved down to the legs.

 **-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

Ian heard the shots being fired and stopped. He glanced back down the hall.

"Ian!" Trevor snapped, slowing and doubling back towards him. "The crazy dude said run!"

"Did you hear that?" Ian asked, ignoring Trevor's words. "He's firing at something."

Trevor shook his head. "The guy looks like he can handle himself just fine."

Ian gripped his rifle hard for a moment and nodded his head. He'd already decided ,the moment he heard the first shot. "I'm going back."

Trevor stepped closer, raising his hand. "Ian, did you fucking see what just happened to Caleb? We need to run!"

Ian glanced back at him. "Find the freezer thing and wait, okay?"

"Ian..."

"I'm still captain!" Ian said forcefully. "That's an order!"

"Fuck!" Trevor turned and ran, holding his rifle out.

Ian spun around and raced back down the hall. He thought he'd come running around the corner to see the stranger being overrun by the... things. Whatever they were. The thing that... Caleb... Caleb was gone... Ian shook his head as he ran. They all knew the risks. They knew the danger when they signed up. He would grieve for his maybe sort of friend later. So yes. Ian was sure the stranger needed saving. But when he printed back down the redlined hall, that was not what he found.

The stranger was standing over Caleb's dismembered body. He picked up one of Caleb's arms and tossed it away. Then he bent down and rifled through the remains of the monster. He picked up a still bleeding chuck of arm and turned. He still had Caleb's pulse rifle, the gun covered in guts and barely visible.

Ian swallowed the forming lump in his throat and he was glad he was wearing his helmet.

"You fuckin' suck at following orders, Red." The stranger barked out as he stepped towards him.

Ian stepped to the side, awkwardly faltering as the guy brushed past. "I uh... heard... you firing..." He mumbled and moved to keep up. "I thought you were in trouble..."

"Nope." The guy said. "Don't survive however fuck long's it been without knowing what the fuck to do." He lowered the bleeding chuck of arm or leg or whatever it was and let it drag along the floor.

Ian glanced back at the smeared trail it was making. "What... what were you doing... with Caleb's body?"

"Gotta dismember the dead." He said. "The mutated ones, too. Cuz they just keep coming. Usually stop when ya get the head. Usually." He added, stressing the word. "But ta get close enough ta get the head, gotten get 'em down on the ground. An' they don't stop."

Ian tightened his grip on his rifle and glanced back. He could hear something, like scraping. "Uh... are they..."

"Take this." The stranger held out the arm chuck. Ian tried not to hesitate but his hand wavered a bit as he reached out for it. He took it and lowered it to the ground as the guy pulled up his display. "Sometimes it works." The guy explained. "Using their blood and shit to mask the living scent."

"Not always?" Ian asked.

The guy shook his head as he lifted his arm and tapped on his display. "They eat each other, too, so..." He shrugged his shoulders. "It's hit or miss." He stopped for a moment and turned, stepping closer to Ian. He held his arm out and pointed at his display. A larger, fatter monster thing was leaning over the dismembered pieces. "This type ya gotta be careful with. They got these uh... little parasite things growing in their bellies. Ya shoot the belly, and they come flying out at ya."

Ian looked away quickly. "So it was you, then?" He said, changing the subject for a moment.

"What?" The man asked, lowering his arm and starting forward again, walking slowly down the hall.

"The camera." Ian said, falling in step with him. "Trevor said he saw it move."

"Trevor the short man?" He asked.

Ian glanced over at him and smiled under his helmet. "You're calling him short? You guys are like the same height."

The guy shrugged. "Still shorter than you and Caleb."

Ian tilted his head to the side. "Just how long were you watching us?"

"Long enough." The guy answered.

Ian lifted his rifle, holding it out in front of the guy and stopping him for a moment. "You called me Gallagher." He said bluntly.

The guy let out a snort and shook his head. He extended his arm and pointed at Ian's nametag. "Zoomed in and saw it."

Ian glanced down at his RIG. He'd forgotten about the nametag. "You zoomed in?" He asked, looking back at him. "On me?"

He shrugged again. "You got a pretty face." He said it in an easy and calm voice. Then he grabbed the bloodied arm chunk from Ian's grip and tossed it away. "That's good enough. C'mon." The guy started off down the hall, faster this time.

Ian sprinted to catch up with him. "Did you just call me pretty?"

He shrugged. "Might have. Been alone for a while." He slowed as they reached Hydroponics. He turned and pointed through the overgrown plants. "Can't be held responsible for what I say. Shit just comes out."

Ian glanced around for a moment. "Calling me pretty just came out?"

"Yep." The guy answered.

They rounded the corner and the freezer came into view. Trevor was pacing back and forth outside the door. "Quit fucking flirting and get in here!" Trevor snapped. "I'm freaking the fuck out!"

Ian glanced at him. "You heard us?"

Trevor turned slightly and pointed at something inside. "The cameras keep changing and I could hear you over them."

Ian stepped closer and peered inside. He looked around the large space. There were two thin mattresses, placed side by side, along one wall. The other wall was lined with computer equipment and a small refrigerator. The floor was littered with clothes, trash, and Ian really wasn't sure what else. It was a mess. "Are you living inside?" He asked, turning slightly to look back at the stranger.

The guy was looking down at his display. "Get inside." He hissed lowly.

Ian straightened up. "Why?"

His fingers flew over his display for a moment and then the doors to the freezer started to squeal. The man dropped his arm and then surged forward. He pushed Ian inside the freezer before slipping inside. The doors slammed shut and locked with a loud click.


End file.
